Unions demand 150-euro public pay rise, say they are ready to strike

(ANSA) - Rome, October 27 - Italy's biggest trade unions on Tuesday demanded a 150-euro pay rise in the public sector, adding that they were ready to stage a general strike if they do not get a positive response from the government. "After six years of a total freeze (in pay) we call for a dignified renewal (of the sector's collective contract)," the FP-CGIL, CISL-FP, UIL-FPL and UIL-PA unions said in a statement. "For us that means an average raise of 150 euros with productivity, certainly not the tip that the government would like".